Wildlife Corridor Growth Through Urban Greenspace Outreach with Gillian Field and Ray Major

Through community outreach, Weed Wrangles, and the Adopt a Greenspace program, City of Bloomington, IN Parks and Recreation is growing native habitat, decreasing mowed areas, using direct seeding techniques, and finding ways to increase native seedling growth through invasive species control.

Ray Major, Forester and Trees from Seed Facebook page editor, and Gillian Field, Urban Greenspace Outreach Coordinator, discuss the formal framework  and organic progression of increasing native habitat in city urban greenspace.

Ray and Gillian's bio and other info:

Gillian Field is a member of MC-IRIS, Indiana Native Plant Society, and works for City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation. Gillian describes herself as a roving volunteer turned passionate community organizer. Her experience includes volunteering for Coolum Community Native Plant Nursery in Queensland Australia, and being involved in the Native Plant Sale for MC-IRIS in Monroe County. Her experience in collecting native seeds, growing seedlings, and removing invasive plant species is forever evolving. Gillian will be volunteering at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St Louis in February!

Gillian’s Cell: 812.327.3708, Cell: 812 606 0277

[email protected]

https://www.bloomington.in.gov/parks/...
Ray Major was born in 1949 and was raised in Bath Township in Franklin County. His family was in the livestock business, where he grew up tending feeder calves and pigs. He has also gardened and grown trees since childhood.

Ray earned a BS degree in Wildlife Biology from Purdue University in 1974.

Much of his life's work has been as a tree farmer on his own place in Clark County, as well as timber management and hardwood plantation management work in cooperation with other tree farmers in Southern Indiana.

In retirement, Ray administers a Facebook page, Trees From Seed, which serves as a resource and 'advice column' for growing, protecting and caring for native woody plants by direct seeding.

This includes everything from growing a single shade tree in the front yard from an acorn to reforesting abandoned crop fields, lawns and idle land by direct seeding.

Trees from Seed Facebook Page   / treesfromseed